Why Search Is Still Beating AI
Google are often late to the party, and don’t “get” things. If you remember Google+, you’ll know what I mean.
So, their go-slow approach to AI has led to a slew of “Search is Dead” hot takes. Usually with an attached screenshot of ChatGPT confidently (and occasionally incorrectly) summarizing a Wikipedia article. “See?” they say. “Chatbots are the future”.
But Google I/O has revealed a truth at the heart of Google. Even they have groked that AI is the future.
AI Mode
Google has introduced AI mode as an option in Google Search and is rolling it out across the US.
At this week’s Google I/O it couldn’t be clearer that AI is the future of search.
I’m glad they’ve finally got it. Chatbots are catching up with Google search, and this is only going in one direction. They might have different uses, but not as different as you might think.
Image: ChatGPT and The Secret Developer
Meet Your New Not-So-Overlords
Hold on a second though. Google search received 1,631.5 billion visits last year. Chatbots 55.2 billion visits. Despite the hype, the numbers aren’t close.
Let’s be clear — I love ChatGPT. I even like Grok, and not just because the name sounds like it belongs in a caveman-themed MMORPG. But let’s stop pretending that conversational interfaces are taking over how people get information. Google getting in a twist about this doesn’t mean this is any more than just hype.
Features Tho’
Search is still the internet’s default gateway drug. You search before you know what you want. You chatbot when you think you already do.
Want the weather? Google.
Want to know what caused the Great Depression? Probably Google again.
Want a chatbot to explain the Great Depression in the voice of a pirate with ADHD? Hello, GPT.
Even with ChatGPT’s meteoric rise (67.09% YoY growth), it still only accounts for 2.96% of total search traffic. You read that right — not even 3%.
Sure, AI mode is going to enable things you can’t do with a normal search. Wait a while with Google’s deep research “Deep Search”, sure. Book a vacation, sure, if you’re that brave/foolish with your money.
The 55.2 Billion Problem
Something doesn’t ring true with Google’s panic. If AI chatbots are the second coming, why aren’t they closing the gap faster?
I’ll tell you why.
Search is frictionless
Open browser, type junk, click link. Done.
AI is heavyweight
Users still need to know what to ask and how to phrase
Trust isn’t free
AI makes up stuff occasionally. Google might bury the answer under five ads, but at least it doesn’t hallucinate.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Most chatbot traffic? It’s probably developers like me trying to rewrite Jira tickets or pretending to be productive in between doom scrolls.
The Real Battle
It’s not for search at all. That’s simply misdirection.
The real war is for workflow. Chatbots are slotting into IDEs, office apps, and dashboards — not search bars. They’re becoming your autocomplete on steroids. Your coworker who never sleeps or files HR complaints.
The more mundane your job is, the more a chatbot will quietly steal it from under your nose.
But for the web’s front door? Search still has the keys.
Conclusion
AI chatbots are impressive. Helpful, flashy and making up stuff at the drop of a hat. But for now, they’re not replacing Google search. Not even close.
The narrative that “Search is dead” is less a prophecy and more a LinkedIn engagement strategy. AI might be the future of something, but it’s not the future of everything. Especially not yet.
Please. Keep predictions in check. Chatbots are growing sideways into productivity tools, not upwards into search engines. They’re here to help us write code, draft emails, and automate the soul-crushing parts of modern tech jobs.
So, until ChatGPT can tell me the closest open pizza place, give me driving directions, and book me a flight (without hallucinating me into bankruptcy), I’ll still be Googling my way through life like everyone else.
Search isn’t dead. Not yet. Google, stop panicking.